


Taking Care of Jim

by Aeradae



Series: A Scout's Dream [3]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Comfort, Fever Dreams, Jimpai, M/M, Senpai Notice Me, Woetp, being sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 14:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5873587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeradae/pseuds/Aeradae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim becomes ill and must set aside his duties while his senpai sets aside his own duties to care for him. Or so Jim thinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taking Care of Jim

**Author's Note:**

> I must give credit to the lovely starshipsorceress from tumblr for giving me some of these ideas <3.

This amazing art was done by the wonderful [froschkuss](http://www.froschkuss.tumblr.com) and is used with her permission.

\---

Jim had never felt so miserable in his entire life. 

His time spent in the dreaded Fallow Mire, punishment for a misunderstanding rather harshly labeled as disobedience, had ended in a misplaced foot, a tumble, and an unwanted swim with several hungry corpses. One of the Inquisition soldiers had been forced to fish him out with a stick while another protected Jim’s back with a few well-placed arrows, both of them trying very hard not to laugh. Already embarrassed beyond words, he had found himself the punchline of every joke during the journey back to Skyhold. To make matters even worse, his health had been steadily declining since his return, and now in the middle of performing his duties he found himself dizzy and hardly able to stand. 

_ Jim, pull yourself together. You cannot afford to be sick right now. You must be strong. _ Beads of sweat formed on his flushed forehead even as he felt chills travel up and down his back. He sincerely wished he could have spent the morning curled up in bed, but he had forced himself to get up and tend to his duties. After all, he had a very important job to do. The Commander of the Inquisition had to receive his messages. Senpai  _ needed _ him. 

“Scout… Jim, isn’t it? Are you alright?”

Jim suddenly realized that his attention had been wandering and forced himself to focus on the woman sitting in front of him. “S-Sorry? Oh. Yes, yes that is my name, Lady Montilyet. And I am fine, thank you.”

Josephine did not seem convinced. She leaned forward in her chair and propped her elbows on the desk, resting her chin on her hands. “Are you sure you’re alright? You’re quite flushed. I can get another scout to deliver these messages while you go and rest for a little while.”

“No, no I’ll be fine, Lady Montilyet. Thank you for your concern, though.” Jim hurried to take the handful of papers before Josephine could object. He turned and managed to take a few hesitant steps before his vision began to waver. He threw a hand out against the nearest pillar to steady himself.

A violent wave of dizziness swept over him, causing him to lose his balance. He scrambled to grab at the pillar as he fell, but his body failed to obey him. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Josephine rising from her chair with a gasp. He tried to tell her to stay where she was, that he was alright, but unconsciousness claimed him before his mouth could form the words. 

\---

Jim fought the haze of lethargy that had settled over his body and slowly coaxed his eyes open. It took him several moments to be able to focus his tired eyes. He was still for a few moments as he glanced around and tried to process his surroundings. 

He immediately realized that he wasn’t in his own bed. This one was much larger and more comfortable than his own. The room itself was also much larger than the one he shared with several others, although it was not heavily furnished. The layout seemed familiar, somehow… 

His focus drifted upwards, and he frowned. There was a large, gaping hole in the ceiling.  _ Maker’s breath, who would allow such a huge hole above the area where they sleep to remain uncovered _ … Jim’s eyes widened in sudden understanding. He had heard stories about this ceiling. This... This was Cullen’s room. He was in Senpai’s bed.

Jim gasped in surprise as he watched the Commander himself climb to the top of the ladder with a bowl and cloth carefully balanced in one hand. 

Cullen frowned a little in concern when he saw Jim’s expression. “Maker’s breath, I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

“Commander! N-no, I mean yes, but… Commander, what happened? Why… why am I… up  _ here _ ?” Jim croaked, his voice thick and hoarse.  

“Hush, now. You should save your strength, Jim. Apparently you collapsed in Josephine’s office while she was giving you some messages to deliver. I happened to be nearby when she started calling for help. You were gasping for breath and burning with fever, and you had me quite worried. I gathered you up and carried you here so that I could attend to you personally.”

Cullen set the bowl down on the night stand and dropped the cloth into it. He pressed the back of his hand against Jim’s forehead to check on his fever. With a small tsking sound he gathered up the cloth, squeezing most of the water from it before draping it across Jim’s forehead.n 

Jim almost sighed in relief as Cullen placed the cloth, blessedly cool against his fevered skin. Cullen’s fingers lingered in his hairline, before the lightly calloused pads slid up and began to rub small circles into Jim’s scalp. His touch was surprisingly gentle, quite different than the strong Commander’s grip he expected.

\---  

The next time Jim woke up, he found himself covered in Cullen’s coat. He sighed gently and rubbed his cheek against the dark fur, deeply breathing in all the scents that he identified with Cullen. 

The creaking of furniture caused Jim to glance around. Cullen had settled into a chair next to the bed, reading through a stack of papers. He quickly put them aside when he noticed Jim was awake. Jim sincerely hoped that Cullen had not seen what he had just been doing. 

Cullen appeared oblivious though, smiling and leaning over to check on Jim’s fever. “I’ve brought you some soup. You should try to eat something, to help regain your some of your strength.” 

Jim struggled to sit up, but his arms currently lacked the strength to support the weight of his body. Cullen put an arm around Jim’s shoulders to help him sit up, supporting him while he rearranged the pillows so he could comfortably prop Jim up against them. 

Jim was certain that Cullen kept his arm around him for longer than was necessary, and he blushed as he noticed how close the Commander’s body was in proximity to his own. He was tempted to rest his head against Cullen’s shoulder, but firmly decided against it. He didn’t want to push his luck. 

“Do you think you are strong enough to feed yourself?” Cullen asked. 

Jim started to nod, but stopped himself. His arms felt incredibly heavy, and he was sure that they would tremble too much and that he would spill soup all over himself. Embarrassed, he slowly shook his head.

“It’s alright. I’ll help you.” Cullen shifted Jim over slightly so that he could sit on the edge of the bed. He patiently fed Jim spoonfuls of the hearty soup, careful not to make a mess. When Jim had eaten his fill Cullen gently wiped his face and helped him to lie back down. He tucked the blankets snugly around him, the fur of his coat snug under his chin. 

“Thank you, Commander,” Jim murmured sleepily. “It’s so kind and thoughtful of you to take time out of your day to take care of me like this.” 

“I just want you to get better. You are important to m—to the Inquisition. Get some rest, Jim.” A brush of soft lips against his forehead lulled Jim back into a deep, peaceful sleep. 

\---

When Jim finally regained consciousness his throat was terribly dry and his head ached, but he was feeling a lot better than he had in days. He couldn’t shake the immediate feeling that something was different though. 

“Ah, he finally wakes.” 

Jim turned his head, prepared to see Cullen’s handsome face smiling down at him. But he stopped, blinking in confusion. The eyes that looked closely into his own were not warm and golden, they were blue. The man standing before him was not Cullen. He looked down to see he was not cocooned in a nest of heavy furs in Cullen’s bedroom, but instead on a small cot. Looking around, he realized he was in one of the sick tents. 

_ What is going on? Where is Cullen? He was just here, right before I fell asleep, I know he was… _ “S-Senpai?” The word slipped out before Jim could catch himself.

“The name’s Stefen, not Senpai, and in case you are wondering, I’m the Healer that has been taking care of you while you were ill,” the man replied with a raised eyebrow. “You were calling out for this Senpai during the worst of your fever as well. Who might that be? Should I send someone to find them for you?” 

“N-no!” Jim squeaked, a blush colouring his cheeks. He prayed that the remainder of his illness would hide his embarrassment from the Healer. “It’s no one important. Did I, uh, have any visitors since I’ve been here?”

“Another scout came by when you first fell ill. I can’t quite recall her name… Brie, maybe? Brooke? Something like that. Anyway, she came to grab the papers you had with you. Apparently they were needed by the Commander and he asked her to find them.”

Jim groaned. He had failed in his duty to Cullen.  _ He’s probably even more upset with me now. I’m so sorry, Senpai. I have failed you _ … “Am I able to go back to my own room, now?”

Stefen inspected him for a moment. “I suppose that would be alright. I recommend that you stay in bed for  another day or so, though. Just to make sure that the illness has truly passed.”

Jim shook his head. “I feel much better now, thank you.” He shakily got to his feet. He stood in the same spot for a few moments to wait for the bout of dizziness to pass. As he waited, he took stock of his body. He was still tired, but otherwise he seemed to be nearly back to full health. He thanked the Healer once more for taking care of him before slowly making his way back to his room.  _ Once I have something to eat and drink I should be alright. Then I can resume my duties. No matter how I am feeling, Cullen still needs me. I cannot fail him, not again. Never again _ .


End file.
